Galway in Days Gone By
Galway In Days Gone By
1915
Margarine strike
At the Loughrea Board of Guardians, the following letter was received:
“Gentlemen – We, the inmates of the Workhouse, most humbly ask you to give us a bit of butter or an egg instead of the margarine. We have never used a bit of it, and are eating our bread dry.
“Poor Miss Raftery used to put her but of butter in the stirabout the matron gives her, and now she has to eat it dry, and she is weak on her feat.
“Hoping your honours will grant us a bit of butter. We remain, your humble servants.”
Chairman: There is a general strike against margarine.
Mr. O’Loughlin: We have nothing to do with it. We will refer it to the medical officer. It was on his recommendation we adopted it.
Chairman: It was a cruel thing to do. Would there be any use in giving notice to have the order rescinded
Mr. O’Loughlin: I would not like to rescind an order made only a few weeks ago.
Mr. O’Dea, we had no right to let them know they were to get the margarine. He [the doctor] would be a good judge who could tell whether it was butter or margarine.
1940
Army desertion
When three young men from Carraroe district appeared at Spiddal Court before District Justice Mac Giollarnath, charged with desertion from the army, one of them stated that he had go two day’s leave in order to get married and merely overstayed the time allowed. He was quite willing to go back now.
The Justice said that he could make no order in the case of another of the men, because the Army officer who gave evidence failed to identify him as the truant soldier and the Garda who arrested him could not state that he was a deserter.
The man himself remained silent throughout the proceedings and when all was over, he told the Justice that he was willing to return to the Army.
All three “re-volunteered” in Court and returned to barracks.
School burns down
Aillebrack national School, Ballyconneely, was burned to the ground in the ewaly hours of Tuesday morning. The Clifden Gardaí were called to the scene shortly after the outbreak had been discovered at 3a.m., but the flames had buy then firmly gripped the building and the police were unable to cope with the fire. The origin of the fire is as yet unknown, but the guards are pursuing inquiries.
All-star Game
Leinster 11 Connacht 11
A shrill whistle – free to Leinster. A hush fell upon the crowd as Carry, the captain, carefully placed the ball. Then, with a mighty kick, he sent the ball sailing between the posts for those all-important three points which levelled the scores and saved his side from suffering their first defeat at the hands of the Connachtmen.
This was the dramatic and – for the small band of western supporters who made the long trek to the marble City – most disappointing ending to the Interprovincial game at St. James’s Park, Kilkenny, on Saturday, which resulted in a draw of two goals (one penalty) and a try, to three goals (two penalties).
The points were evenly divided by the honours were not, for Connacht – who played with only fourteen men for three-quarters of the game – had the better of the fast and furious exchanges all through.
If ever the Westerners deserved victory, it was on this occasion, but Lady Luck thought otherwise and a penalty goal secured by Leinster in the last few minutes, from a free which should never have been awarded, cheated them of a chance of making rugby history by defeating their opponents for the first time.
Connacht: Full-back: C. Mahoney (Corinthians); Three-quarters: S. Gill (UCG), T. Lenihan (do.), C. Finan (Galwegians), W. Callinan (Loughrea); Half-backs: G. Mahoney (Corinthians and Dolphin) and F. Flattery (Corinthians); Forwards: R. Grealish (Galwegians), A.J. Roche (do.), B. Donohue (Loughrea), J. Joyce (Galwegians), D. Ryan (Loughrea). J. Owens (Corinthians), D.B. O’Malley (UCG) and P.J. Horan (do.).
1922
Sovereign rights
The right of opinion, especially in politics, is one conceded in all nations, but that right depends entirely on an unwritten code of honesty and honour that in forming his opinion every citizen makes use of honest intelligence and reason in guiding his judgement and is because a citizen is above lies and misrepresentation in matters affecting the national wellbeing and prosperity of his country.
On this date, January 15, 1922, every man in the West is (if not alien on Ireland’s soil or temporarily in residence) a Citizen of the Irish Free State, under the authority of the Provisional Government of Ireland. This Provisional Government consists of men chosen by the Irish people to represent them and by none others, and is to be in a few months replaced by one composed of those chosen by the Irish people.
Let us now, in endeavouring to point out certain dangers, bring home to the plain people the ordinary meanings of ordinary words.
Sovereign means supreme in power.
Supreme means highest and greatest.
Sovereign rights of the people mean the highest and greatest powers of the people. Now the highest powers are those born in, given to, inherited, owned by the people, to control fully the Government of the country, or in other words, Government of the people by the people.
These God-given rights of the people had been for ages denied the people not alone of Ireland, but of other countries, so the word republic came to signify these rights, and hence we turn up a dictionary printed and published in the U.S. and we read: “Republic – A nation or state governed by representatives elected by the citizens.”
Let me here point out that the Irish Free State now comes wholly and completely into that class, and no other, and that she has once again become, even unwelcomed by her own.
A thatcher at work on the roof of a house close to the Bishop’s Gate at Lower Salthill on March 4, 1966.
Restoring order
Now that the government of the country is passing into the hands of Irishmen, who will have control of all matters affecting the welfare of the old land, it is the duty of all classes and creeds to unite in their efforts to see that law and order will be efficiently enforced, and that there will not be any repetition of the recent looting of shops, which, owing to the frequency with which it occurred, could be regarded as nothing less than a scandal.
In conjunction with the R.I.C., the I.R. police of Galway have taken strong measures to cope with the “epidemic”, and in other ways are leaving noting undone to restore order.
In view of these circumstances, it is to be hoped that all right-meaning citizens and men of good-will, interested in the country’s welfare, will give every possible assistance in the preservation of order, which will reflect the fact that the nation is governed and controlled as a Christian community should be.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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1922
Violent assault
At Loughrea Quarter Sessions, before his honour Judge Doyle, K.C., Mrs. Anne Lowry, Carhoon, Tynagh, claimed £100 compensation for the alleged kidnapping of her daughter, Julia Goonan (under age), by armed and disguised men, and for the cutting of her hair on the night of October 6 last. Mr. Mulcair, solr., appeared for the applicant.
Julia Goonan, examined by her solicitor, stated she was seventeen years of age, and the daughter of Mrs. Annie Lowry, who resided at Carhoon, in the Portumna district. Witness was at her service with a man named Patrick Harte, Athenry-road, Loughrea, for about six months.
On the night of the 6th October last, four disguised men came to Mr. Harte’s door and knocked. They were admitted by Mr. Harte and coming in around the kitchen asked if he had a girl in the house. He replied he had, and witness, who was in a room off the kitchen at the time, was preparing to go to bed.
“The men, who were looking about everywhere,” proceeded witness, “saw me in the room and they pulled me out. They took a shawl that was hanging on the door and wrapping it around me took me to a motor that was outside and put me into it. I saw another man standing beside the driver when I came out to the car. They then drove me up as far as Nonie Ryan’s house at the other end of the town and on arriving there, took out Nonie Ryan and put her into the motor.
“I noticed some men outside Ryan’s house when the car stopped. They then drove us away up the Ballinasloe road, and when we had gone about three miles they blindfolded us. One of the men gave me a few slaps across the face.”
To his honour: Witness did not know the men. They were masked and blackened.
Continuing, witness stated the men, who apparently went astray, drove them around the roads from twenty minutes to twelve on Wednesday night, October 6, until three o’clock on the following morning. At Knockbrack witness was ordered out of the car and taken away about twenty yards, still blindfolded. She was “hung up” by the hair by one of the men and another shaved her hair in to the bone.
His honour: Don’t girls “bob” their hair to make themselves look attractive? (laughter).
Witness: They do, your honour. – His honour: Did they “bob” your hair or cut it off altogether? – Witness: They cut it off altogether.
Mr. Mulcair: It is apparently growing now. When I saw her after the incident, she was very bare.
In further evidence, witness said the men told her wile in the motor they would take her to Athlone barracks and get two nice Black and Tans for herself and her companion. They subsequently stated they would take them to Ballinasloe barracks, and finally left them at her mother’s house in Carhoon in the morning.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
1921
No port like home
We produce this message in full, because it contains its lesson for the people of Galway – a lesson which if not read swiftly and acted upon promptly may be lost and may lose for the home port the one feature around which a great city could be built in the year to come.
In the years of peace and progress which lie ahead, trade will be rapidly developed between Ireland and America, and a considerable stimulus will be given to passenger service. Galway is the nearest port to the United States and Canada.
Its claims in this connection are incontestable. Indeed, we believe that those claims are accepted by men like Mr. Arthur Griffith who knows the country thoroughly.
Money to develop the country will assuredly be available in the near future, and one of the first schemes of development is likely to be the opening up of our long-disused ports.
In the future there will be no hostile Liverpool trade interests to content against. We shall be free to develop our own resources in our own way. But theirs will be rival ports on the western coast. Cobh is consolidating its position.
The Galway Port has yet to be made. The people of Galway should see that its claims are kept well in the foreground, and the representatives of Galway in the new government should have all the facts in connection with Galway placed at their disposal.
Establishment robbed
Mr. Murty O’Leary’s grocery establishment, Wood-quay, was raided at about twelve o’clock on Saturday night by burglars when tobacco, cigarettes, polish and other goods, with £5 or £6 in notes and silver were taken away.
Mrs. O’Leary had gone to midnight Mass at the time, and the door was locked when she left. Mr. O’Leary was upstairs at the time the raiders entered, and when he heard some noise at the door a few minutes after his wife had left he did not suspect that anything was wrong.
How these burglars succeeded in getting in, considering that the door was locked, remains a mystery.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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